Case Study | Bearing Failure in a Circulating Water Pump Motor: Smart Operations and Maintenance Platform Averts the Risk of Unit Shutdown at the Last Minute

At chemical production sites, the circulating cooling water pump serves as the “main artery” of the entire water‑circulation system, ensuring the safe and stable operation of various heat‑exchanging equipment. Meanwhile, the motor that drives the pump is the power‑driving heart of this vital artery.

Motor bearings, as a core and vulnerable component, Poor lubrication is the most common hidden hazard. In the early stages, the fault manifests only as a slight increase in vibration, which is difficult to detect with the naked eye or during manual inspections. If left unchecked, bearing wear will accelerate, temperatures will soar, and in extreme cases, the shaft may seize, leading to shutdowns. This can trigger overheating of heat-exchange equipment and even result in unplanned outages of the entire production unit, causing substantial economic losses and posing significant safety risks.

Recently, a major chemical enterprise has leveraged Zhongyun Technology Intelligent Operations and Maintenance Platform By detecting early signs of inadequate lubrication in the circulating cooling water pump motor bearings ahead of time, operations and maintenance personnel promptly performed oil‑replenishment, nipping the fault in the bud and successfully averting a potential sudden equipment failure.

1. Vibration data has surged abnormally, and the platform has proactively issued an alert to pinpoint the fault location.

On August 14, 2026, the intelligent operations and maintenance platform detected, through online monitoring, that the vibration acceleration and vibration velocity at the free-end measurement point of the circulating water pump motor began to rise steadily, triggering system alarms on multiple occasions. Simultaneously, the motor’s drive end exhibited the same trend.

The platform immediately pushes alert notifications to on-site operations personnel, providing clear visibility into the fault location, alarm severity, and the time of the anomaly—eliminating the need for operators to conduct time‑consuming, needle‑in‑a‑haystack troubleshooting and enabling them to directly pinpoint the affected equipment and measurement points.

Manual inspections struggle to detect this kind of gradual degradation; by the time unusual noises are heard or excessive heat is felt on site, the damage has often already become irreversible.

II. Precise Data Analysis and Assessment: Bearing lubrication has failed; oil replenishment is recommended as a priority.

Reviewing historical data reveals that this motor’s vibration levels had previously remained stable over an extended period. However, since August 14, the vibration readings deteriorated rapidly, with the peak acceleration reaching as high as 76.53 m/s² on August 17.

Based on waveform analysis, the signal exhibits numerous impact pulses, with significant high-frequency energy concentration and elevated background noise. Considering multiple vibration‑related features, the platform has issued the following diagnostic conclusion: Poor lubrication of the motor bearings poses a risk of early damage; it is recommended to first replenish the grease and then monitor the operating condition. 。

III. On-site Handling Closed Loop: Refueling and maintenance completed; equipment operation has returned to normal.

In accordance with the platform’s diagnostic recommendations, the on-site operations team conducted a shutdown for lubrication maintenance on the evening of August 17, replenishing the motor bearings with grease.

Following the equipment’s recommissioning, the online monitoring results were immediately evident: the vibration acceleration and velocity RMS at the motor’s free end dropped sharply, high-frequency impact noise disappeared, all key diagnostic parameters returned to their normal ranges, and latent equipment hazards were completely eliminated.

IV. Lessons from the Case | Equipping Critical Equipment with an All-Weather “Early-Warning Radar”

The successful resolution of this bearing lubrication hazard fully demonstrates the practical value of predictive intelligent operations and maintenance:

Trend following, proactive risk early warning

Track equipment vibration changes in real time, issue early warnings at the onset of a fault, and provide a window for corrective action before the bearing sustains substantial, severe damage, thereby preventing component scrap and unplanned downtime.

Data-driven diagnostics to reduce ineffective tasks.

By leveraging equipment vibration data, we can accurately pinpoint lubrication‑related issues, guide on‑site priority oil‑top‑up maintenance, avoid unnecessary disassembly and overhauls, and reduce labor, spare‑part, and downtime costs.

End-to-end closed-loop management ensures continuous production.

Establish a complete maintenance closed-loop comprising “alarm notification → intelligent diagnostics → on-site maintenance → performance verification,” ensuring the continuous and reliable operation of the circulating water system.

Industrial equipment failures rarely occur suddenly; they are typically the result of hidden risks that accumulate over time. The root cause of many major accidents lies in seemingly minor anomalies that have been overlooked.

Zhongyun Technology has long been dedicated to the field of intelligent operation and maintenance for industrial equipment. Leveraging online monitoring technologies, it provides fault‑early warning and intelligent diagnostic services for critical auxiliary machinery—such as pumps and fans—in industries like chemical processing and power generation. This helps industrial enterprises transition from the traditional “reactive, post‑failure repair” model to… Predictive maintenance , move the safety‑protection checkpoint forward and fortify the first line of defense in workplace safety.

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